Response to Blood Appeal Fills the Bill

Calling the public response “fantastic,” Red Cross officials in Orange and Los Angeles counties on Monday called off their emergency appeal for blood.

“The need is not urgent like it was last week,” Red Cross spokeswoman Joan Mueller said.

Not only are the agency’s blood supplies plentiful now but also, Mueller said, “The majority of people who have called are scheduling appointments through February,” guaranteeing a ready supply for weeks to come.

Just a week ago, Red Cross officials had issued an urgent appeal for blood, saying supplies of all blood types were “critically low.” The agency’s inventory was so poor, officials said, that they could not replenish supplies at local hospitals or send blood overseas if U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf were wounded.

They blamed the shortage of blood on a drop in donations over the Christmas holidays.

But after last week’s drive, in which hundreds of people took time off work to visit blood-donation centers, hospitals and Red Cross banks in Orange and Los Angeles counties had 12,000 pints of blood, Mueller said--comfortably above their goal of 11,500 pints. In Orange County, the Red Cross counted 750 pints on its shelves, well above its normal 600 pints.

While the crisis has passed, Mueller said, the Red Cross always needs donors. With a shelf-life of only 42 days, “blood is an ongoing need,” she said.